Nahli's Brother Bear
by AnimalGrrl101
Summary: When a 16-year old Inuit teenager named Nahli gets lost while out in the Alaskan forest, she has an unexpected encounter with Kenai and Koda who eventually help her find the way back to her village. While on this journey, Kenai and Nahli develop a bond of kinship as Nahli realizes the beautiful reality of having a brother bear by her side. (My first ever fanfic btw! Enjoy!)
1. Chapter 1

**Ch.1**

Nahli groaned irritably to herself as she trudged through the Alaskan forest. Five hours had passed since she wandered off into the wilderness by herself, getting further and further away from her village with every step she took. The 16-year old Inuit girl scolded herself for ignoring her parents' wise words of not venturing into unknown territory alone. Nahli hated to be tied down to the small village though. Her strong love for nature and enticing sense of adventure drove her to wake up early at the crack of dawn and quietly sneak out of her hut, leaving behind her family of four who were sound asleep- her father, mother, older brother Noukah, and younger brother Kion.

"Ugh, why don't I ever listen!" Nahli muttered regretfully to herself as she continued walking through the forest, all the while hearing grumbling sounds from her hungry stomach. By now, her family was probably enjoying the scrumptious home-cooked meal of Muktuk that her mother was well-known for cooking in the village. Or maybe they were too worried to eat as they were searching for their missing daughter...

A sickening sensation suddenly spread throughout Nahli's stomach at the thought of her family being in a worried state just because of her own stubbornness of not obeying her parents. She lifted her head and looked up into the grand quaking aspen trees that surrounded her, trying to take her mind off of the bothersome thoughts. Nahli sighed peacefully as she breathed in the crisp fall air. As the chilly wind blew through her long black hair, the Inuit girl knew that this season would soon be replaced by winter which was right around the corner.

Out here was truly a world of beauty. Red, yellow, and orange colors glistened throughout the forest as the Alaskan sun hit the swaying leaves on the top of the trees and shined on the ice caps of the distant mountains. Nahli smiled as a small snowshoe hare darted across the path in front of her. The cheerful sounds of birds chirping in the air and the distant mews of caribou seemed to help calm the teenager's growing anxiety of being lost.

* * *

Kenai awoke from his slumber with a start. The young adult bear had been dreaming about his past life as a human. Scenes of running through the village with his older brothers, Sitka and Denahi, flashed through his mind the previous night. The echoes of their laughter in the dream seemed so real that it jolted Kenai out of his sleep. Expecting to be in his village playing with his brothers at that present moment, Kenai's tired eyes fluttered open.

He perked up his furry ears and looked around excitedly calling, "Denahi! Sitka?" But his heart immediately sank as he realized that he was in fact not in his village. He was lying down in a dark cave that served as his home for the past year of his new life as a grizzly bear. Kenai was quite disappointed that his mind tricked him to actually think that he was among his brothers in the village, living a happy-go-lucky life as a mischievous young man once again.

The bear's saddened amber eyes looked down at the chocolate brown cub curled up beside him. It was none other than Koda sleeping peacefully, his head buried into Kenai's cinnamon-brown belly fur. A small smile spread across the bear's muzzle as he looked lovingly upon his little brother. It was not that Kenai no longer desired to live a life as a bear. He was happy that he made the noble decision of staying with Koda as his brother, protector, and friend.

After committing the personally unforgivable act of killing the bear cub's mother a year ago, Kenai felt that it was his duty to care for Koda and display a strong brotherly love that would help fill the void of a mother bear's affection that the cub had been missing for quite some time. A mixture of emotions struck Kenai as a feeling of remorse returned to him once again. Ever since the day that Kenai confessed to Koda the truth about what he'd done to his mother, great sadness would often fill his heart as his mind replayed the horror that was written all over the cub's tearful face.

Looking away from Koda, Kenai sighed deeply as he glanced down at his totem hanging from his neck that was slightly buried in the thick fur of his mane. His deceased brother, Sitka, had always reminded Kenai in the past to follow his totem, and it wasn't until Kenai became a bear that he actually realized the true meaning of what his eldest brother told him. A flood of memories filled the young adult bear's mind, and he couldn't help the tears that now unexpectedly welled up in his eyes. Kenai really missed his brothers. He especially missed seeing Denahi who was the only living human brother left.

When Kenai made the choice of remaining a grizzly bear, Denahi had promised him that no matter what form he took, Kenai would always be his little brother. Denahi also promised that he would visit Kenai as often as he could. But with the new duties of becoming an apprentice of the chief in their Inuit tribe, Denahi eventually ceased visiting Kenai. _He never has time for me anymore,_ Kenai thought gloomily to himself. After not seeing each other for a whole year, Kenai worried that his own brother would no longer understand him as the barrier between bear and man gradually grew them apart. Kenai realized that his chances of hanging out with Denahi were slim to none now, and he began to reluctantly accept the fact that Denahi was not a part of his life anymore.

Even though he couldn't see his brother, the adolescent bear yearned to be in contact with another human- anyone who would remind him of his previous village home. _I just need to relieve my mind right now,_ Kenai thought. All this deep pondering about his past life, brothers, and his present life as a bear were weighing down on him and made him feel rather depressed.

Kenai sniffed and wiped the falling tears from his eyes with his large paws. With a gentle lick on sleeping Koda's forehead, Kenai wearily arose to his paws, being careful not to wake the deeply slumbering cub. He then walked out the entrance of his cave and entered the glistening light of the bright afternoon sun outside.


	2. Chapter 2

**Ch. 2**

"Where am I?" Nahli thought aloud as she frantically looked around. Another hour had passed, and she had gotten nowhere near her village. The beautiful scenery only calmed her spirits momentarily before she started to worry again. She looked desperately at the bark of the trees surrounding her, hoping to spot the markings that she made earlier with a stick to help retrace her steps back home. To her dismay, none were in sight.

The young Inuit felt as if she was going in circles. She was tired, hungry, and her feet ached with each step that she took. Nahli finally decided to sit on a rock underneath a tree to rest, feeling hopelessly lost. The chilly fall breeze no longer felt inviting as she shivered in her beige parka. The sun was slowly dipping in the sky as the evening hours began to approach.

Nahli sighed and looked down at her totem around her neck. She caressed the carved object of a dove hanging from delicate string.

" _Remember to be peaceful and calm as a dove in the sky_."

The comforting words of Nahli's mother came back to memory as she stared at the totem. It helped to ease the girl's fear and allowed her to forget how lost she was in that moment. Letting the object fall back onto her chest, Nahli looked out in front of her.

She spotted an opening to a small cave not too far from where she was sitting. Suddenly, Nahli heard rustling in the distant trees and gasped as she saw a bear emerge from the other side nearby the cave. She could tell from his slightly smaller size in comparison to other grizzlies that this bear was indeed a young adult male. He was light brown with darker colored fur on his legs and abdomen, and possessed a rather stocky build. The large animal was a sight to behold as the evening sunlight glistened on the fur on his back, giving it a radiant golden appearance.

The teenage Inuit was careful not to make any sudden moves. She had heard awful stories from her tribe about gruesome bear attacks, and she learned from a very young age that bears were indeed dangerous animals. The adolescent bear pointed his black nose upwards and sniffed the shifting scent in the air. Then, he immediately spotted Nahli in the distance.

* * *

Kenai couldn't take his gaze off of the human girl sitting in a frozen state underneath the tree. He was also frozen in place, his amber eyes growing large with astonishment. The bear was just about to re-enter the cave from his morning walk that helped to clear his mind and was going to check on Koda when he suddenly stumbled upon the unexpected sight before him.

He could tell that she was a teenager from a village different from his own. Kenai also noticed that she lacked a weapon, so he was relieved to know that she possibly wasn't a hunter. It was just this morning that Kenai longed to see a human being, and in a short amount of time one was actually there in front of him! The depression that he once felt rapidly lifted and excitement took over.

Overcome with joy to finally see a fellow human being again, Kenai began walking towards Nahli, seeming to forget in the moment that he was still a bear and no longer in his human form.

"Hello! What's your name?" Kenai said as he began to approach the frightened girl. The bear was so focused on trying to communicate with Nahli that he didn't realize (or must have forgotten in the moment) that the words coming out of his mouth only came across as loud moans and grunts.

Nahli's heart skipped a beat as the grizzly bear walked towards her, quickly closing the gap that was the only protection she had. Her palms began to sweat, and her breathing was rapid. Nahli didn't know what to do... she was trapped! _Oh no, what do I do?! How will I escape without him chasing me?_ The girl panicked internally.

The bear's eyes were still locked onto hers as his large paws hit the earth with every step he took. Nahli's head was spinning, desperately trying to think of a wise plan to safely escape this bear whom she felt would soon attack her at any moment. The young Inuit cautiously began to stand up in a very slow manner. She was about to make a run for it, but had to be sure to dash away at the right time. As she started to move, the grizzly bear stopped for a brief moment and cocked his head curiously to the side as he continued to stare at her with warm amber eyes.

The moment that the bear stopped in his tracks became Nahli's gateway to freedom. She spun around in the opposite direction, running as fast as her legs could carry her. Her Mukluks seemed to hit the ground a mile a minute across the vast forest as she ran for her life.

Kenai just stood there dumbfounded as he watched the Inuit girl dash away as if she'd just seen a monster.

"Ugh, what am I thinking! Of course she doesn't know that I was a human before. All she sees is a bear coming after her!" Kenai scolded himself as he covered his face with his paw and shook his head in disgust. The young adult bear felt bad that he scared the girl. In fact, seeing the frightened look in her eyes was quite emotionally draining for Kenai. He had difficulty adjusting to humans seeing him only as the wild grizzly bear that he now was instead of the young man that he used to be, beloved by all in his village.

But something deep inside the bear wasn't satisfied with the reaction that he just received from the girl. Even though she was clearly a stranger, Kenai wanted to prove to her that he was more than just the blood-thirsty bear that she perceived him as. Without another thought, Kenai ran after Nahli. Though she was already out of sight, his powerful nose could still pick up the scent trail that would lead him straight to her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Ch. 3**

The burning sensation that she felt in her leg muscles didn't stop Nahli from sprinting through the forest in her effort to escape the bear that she encountered just minutes ago. Sounds of rustling leaves and heavy paws beating the earth caused Nahli to jerk her head around and look behind her. The teenager gulped as she saw the grizzly bear suddenly gaining on her. _How in the world did he catch up so fast?!_ Nahli thought anxiously. But the Inuit was not watching where she was going as she ran blindly through the forest.

When she turned her head forward, she suddenly crashed into a tree that was right in front of her. Her forehead hit the middle of the tall aspen tree with a hard thump. The impact was too much for her body to handle, and Nahli fell almost lifeless to the ground. Her vision was fading, the sky seemed to be spinning rapidly above her, and crackling noises rang in her ears.

She figured that her life would be over in a matter of seconds as she faintly heard the panting of the young adult bear getting ever so closer. _It's all over now_ , Nahli thought wearily to herself. A loud humming noise suddenly drowned out every other sound... then everything turned pitch black.

* * *

Kenai skidded to a halt beside the still body of the young stranger. With wide panic-stricken eyes, the adolescent bear gasped as he looked down upon the injured girl. A large bruise had formed on her forehead from the hard hit. Nahli's face appeared slightly pale... she was knocked out cold.

"Oh no, wh-what have I done!" Kenai stammered worriedly. He gently nudged Nahli's limp shoulder with his muzzle, pleading for her to wake up. But no motion of response was seen from the seemingly lifeless teenager. A sickening feeling was felt deep inside the bear's tummy as he realized the horrible result that he unintentionally caused. Was he to blame once again for the death of another innocent victim? After senselessly killing Koda's mother in the past, Kenai couldn't bear to witness another death caused by his own foolish actions.

Kenai moaned distressingly as he paced back and forth beside Nahli. The grizzly felt dizzy with guilt and completely helpless. He didn't know what to do! Looking at her, Kenai couldn't tell if the girl was breathing or not. Once again, he approached her and carefully pressed his fuzzy ear to Nahli's chest, desperately listening for any signs of life.

To the adolescent bear's utter relief, he could hear the slow but steady thumping of the human's beating heart. Nahli was alive! Kenai let out a huge sigh and lay down close beside the girl. The Alaskan sun would set in a few hours, and Kenai didn't want to leave this unconscious Inuit teenager all alone by herself out here in the forest.


	4. Chapter 4

**Ch. 4**

Thirty minutes had passed until Nahli slowly started to gain consciousness. Without opening her eyes, she let out a feeble groan of pain. The girl felt something soft and wet gently pressing against the bruise on her forehead. She gradually began to open her eyes. It took a few seconds for her eyes to fully adjust to the blurred image directly above her as she still lay on the ground.

Nahli's brown eyes immediately gaped once she looked up. The same light brown grizzly bear that was chasing her earlier was now lying right next to her! She felt the moist heat from the bear's large pink tongue as it continuously slid smoothly across her bruised forehead. Nahli's body suddenly froze in a state of shock. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't seem to move! The frightened girl could feel every breath that the bear took as his large body pressed up against her own. Nahli felt powerless as she stared fearfully into the face of the beast from whom she wished she had escaped.

Noticing that the girl had finally awaken, Kenai stopped licking her forehead and looked straight into Nahli's face. Nahli hardly blinked as the young adult bear's large furry head filled her vision. Staring intensely into the grizzly's wide amber eyes, Nahli could actually see that his expression was one strangely filled with concern.

"Are you ok?" Kenai asked Nahli softly.

But instead of hearing beastly moans or grunts, the girl was shocked to hear actual words coming from the bear's mouth. Nahli screamed and shot up off the ground. Almost simultaneously, a startled Kenai jumped back. The teenage Inuit felt too weak to stand completely up so she fell back down on her bottom, trying with all the strength she had left to back away from this mysteriously talking bear. Nahli wiped the dripping slobber that was sliding down her face with her hand in disgust as she stared at Kenai with bewildered eyes.

"Woah there, no need to be afraid. It's ok... I'm not going to hurt you." Kenai told the girl in a calm, soothing tone.

"You just talked to me! How did you do that?!" Nahli shrieked. The girl's mind was literally going crazy right about now.

The bear's expression turned to one of shock as well.

"Wait...you can actually understand what I'm saying?!" Kenai thought that no human possessed the ability to communicate with him as a bear other than his brother, Denahi, did before. The grizzly took a curious step closer to Nahli.

"I...I..." Nahli tried to respond, but the words just couldn't come out as she still was in an overpowering state of shock.

"KENAI!"

A voice that sounded like a young boy was calling in the direction from behind the bear. Nahli looked beyond Kenai standing in front of her, seeing a fuzzy dark brown cub with a patch of lighter fur around his neck racing down the forest's path towards the young adult grizzly. Kenai turned his head to see Koda running happily towards him. Too excited to even notice the human girl sitting on the ground a few feet away, Koda finally skidded to a halt in front of Kenai. The older bear smiled gently at the cub bouncing excitedly around him.

"Finally, I've found you! Where have you been? I didn't see you when I woke up in the cave, so I went out looking for berries. I found this huge bush with ALL KINDS of berries! There were blueberries, raspberries, cloudberries, salmonberries..." Koda told Kenai happily, yapping a mile a minute about how he spent the morning.

Nahli gasped. She now knew that this was definitely not a dream. Clear human language was flowing effortlessly from the mouth of the small grizzly cub. How in the world could she suddenly understand these bears?

"I've lost my mind..." Nahli muttered to herself, holding her head in her hands. Kenai glanced a bit nervously at the girl, worried that she would pass out again from being overwhelmed by what she saw. It wasn't until Kenai kindly shushed Koda that the energetic cub finally stopped talking and noticed Nahli. Koda shot a fearful glance at the girl and instinct suddenly took over.

"AHH, A HUNTER!" Koda yelped as he quickly ran underneath Kenai, almost tripping over his paws. His little body quivered as he held onto the inside of one of the older bear's large front legs. Koda still wasn't quite used to humans. He only felt safe around Denahi since that was Kenai's brother. But being out of contact with humans for twelve long months had rekindled the cub's fear of the two-legged creatures.

"It's alright, Koda. She's not carrying a weapon with her, so she's most likely not a hunter." Kenai reassured Koda, gently nudging the cub out from underneath him.

"You're not a hunter, right?" Kenai questioned Nahli to confirm. The girl quietly nodded her head in agreement. In just a matter of seconds, Koda's fearful expression quickly changed to one of child-like curiosity.

"Oh good! I'm glad you're not a hunter. That means you can be our friend! What's your name?" The cub asked the girl innocently as he approached her.

"Nahli." She responded quietly. The Inuit teenager still couldn't decipher how she was able to talk to these bears, but she finally mustered up enough courage to just go along with it.

"Nahli..." Koda repeated out loud to himself. "That's a nice name. I like you already!" The friendly cub went closer to the girl and rubbed his fuzzy head against her arm. Nahli exhaled quietly, her fears gradually fading away. _Maybe these bears aren't so bad after all_ , she thought to herself.

Kenai was pleased to see that the girl had calmed down substantially, and found it the right time to introduce himself properly.

"That is a nice name." Kenai said with a smile.

"Uh...thank you." Nahli replied back with a shy smile. She looked up at the older bear before her. She noticed in his eyes a warm and inviting expression that was almost human-like...

"I'm Kenai, and this is my little brother-"

"Koda!" The cub interjected. A toothy grin spread across his muzzle as he looked up at Nahli. This bear cub was so cheery and adorable that the teenager couldn't help but smile back.

"So, how are you able to understand us?" Kenai asked curiously as he sat down next to Nahli.

"Well..." Nahli slowly began to explain, "I'm really confused myself as to how I'm able to suddenly understand you. When I first spotted you near the cave, I obviously couldn't understand you..." The perplexed girl lightly placed her palm on her bruised forehead as she tried to gather her thoughts. Her eyes widened with realization. "But after I got knocked out by that tree while trying to run away from you, I now understand every word you're saying... but how?" Nahli looked up at the bear sitting beside her, worry flushing her face once again.

Kenai knew that she wanted answers, but even he didn't know how to explain what happened. "Honestly, I don't know, Nahli," the bear said. "But I'm really sorry for running after you like that...it was a pretty stupid thing for me to have done."

"Ya think?" Nahli retorted. Kenai chuckled sheepishly; he knew he was the one to blame for causing all this to happen to the poor girl.

"And while you were unconscious, I was licking your bruise to try to relieve some of the pain so it wouldn't hurt as bad when you woke up," Kenai confessed.

"Well, I guess your licking did help it a bit. And thanks to your big tongue, my forehead was nearly wiped clean off!" Nahli joked with a light-hearted laugh. Kenai laughed as well. The grizzly found that there was something in Nahli's spirit that reminded him of family and his old village home. It made Kenai feel comforted inside.

"It's so cool that you can talk to us, Nahli! We thought only Denahi was able to do that." Koda said as he snuggled up against the girl's leg. The cub was clearly getting comfortable with this new human friend.

"Denahi? Who's that?" Nahli wondered aloud.

"He's Kenai's older brother. He's also a human like you!" Koda answered.

"You have a human brother, Kenai? How is that possible?" Nahli asked the young adult bear.

Kenai sighed and rubbed the thick mane on his neck with his large paw thoughtfully, a bit nervous to disclose the whole truth to Nahli of his past life and the reason for becoming a bear. He knew he had to tell her though- it was the only way for her to believe him.

"Well you see... I'm not the typical bear you think I am, Nahli." Kenai began to respond after a few seconds of silence. A questioning expression appeared on the teenager's face, obviously confused as to where the bear was going with this. Before telling her though, Kenai glanced down at Koda to make sure that the young cub was ok with him repeating this story. The last time Kenai had to explain what really happened to Koda's mother to the large adult grizzly named Tug at the Salmon Run, his little brother bear didn't take it all too well. But that was a year ago, and the cub was more than capable of being emotionally stable in the presence of Kenai telling someone else the solemn truth. Kenai and Koda exchanged glances with a little nod of consent from the cub.

It took Kenai around ten minutes to fully explain his wrongful deed of killing Koda's mother, transforming into a bear, constantly being hunted down by Denahi throughout his journey to the mountain, and his final decision to remain a bear instead of a human. Nahli seemed captivated as she stared at Kenai, listening intently.

"... but if it weren't for this little guy," the adolescent grizzly bear said as he affectionately ruffled Koda's furry head with his paw, "I don't know where I'd be right now."

Koda arose from his spot beside Nahli and embraced into his big brother's arms. The Inuit girl was touched at this display of brotherhood. It reminded her of the unbreakable bond that she shared with her own brothers back home. Being away for hours from Noukah and Kion made Nahli miss them quite a lot.

"Wow, a human-turned-bear...I've never heard of such a thing happen to any person before." Nahli said with astonishment. Kenai placed Koda back on the ground, smiling faintly at the teenage girl. "No wonder why you're so friendly towards me." Nahli grinned.

"Hey! What about-"

"And of course, you are too, Koda." Nahli chuckled. She figured the cub would say something in an effort to include himself.

Kenai looked up into the darkening sky as he noticed the orange sun slowly dipping behind the mountains. "Well, nighttime will be arriving pretty soon, so we'd better get going." The bear said, rising to his paws. "Where were you heading, Nahli?"

Nahli dusted herself off as she arose to her feet.

"I was supposed to be heading back to my village hours ago, but I got lost. I have to be there now, or my parents are going to kill me!" Nahli covered her face with the palm of her hands. She felt overwhelmed; too much was happening in one day.

Kenai nuzzled her side, trying to comfort the distressed Inuit girl. "Don't worry, Nahli. I'm sure your parents will understand once you get back home. But it's really not safe to travel alone in the dark by yourself, especially since you don't know your way back from here."

"Yeah, I know..." Nahli breathed out a discouraged sigh.

"Tell you what," Kenai began reasoning with the teenager, "Koda and I can help you get back to your village first thing tomorrow morning. But you need to get some rest tonight. And I know you must be starving by now, so there's berries and fish back at the cave if you want it."

"Hooray! You can stay with us for the night, Nahli!" Koda chimed in, his dark brown eyes glistening with delight.

"Well, I guess it won't hurt sleeping in tonight... and I really appreciate your help." The girl smiled with gratitude at the two bears.

"No problem! It's the least we can do to help." Kenai grinned back.

"Well what are we waiting for? Come on!" The cub exclaimed, dashing ahead of Kenai and Nahli. The older bear and the girl looked at each other and laughed at Koda's amusing enthusiasm before racing after him down the forest's winding path towards the cave.


	5. Chapter 5

**Ch.5**

Sunlight spilled through the opening of the cave the next morning at the crack of dawn. Kenai lifted his head and yawned. He glanced down at Nahli sleeping peacefully with her head resting on his side. The bear wanted the Inuit girl's stay for the night in the cave to be as comfortable as possible; his thick warm fur provided a soft resting place for Nahli to lay her head. It was a pretty chilly night, so Koda also helped to keep the teenager warm by curling up against Nahli. Kenai wanted to make sure to fulfill his promise of helping Nahli get back home early, so he knew that they had to get up and going immediately.

"Hey Nahli, time to wake up." Kenai whispered, gently nudging the girl's arm with his muzzle. Nahli slowly sat up and stretched.

"Good morning, Kenai." She said with a tired smile as she rubbed her eyes. The adolescent bear responded with a warm smile. Feeling movement beside him, Koda fluttered his eyes open and stretched his paws with a loud yawn.

"Good morning, everyone!" The cub happily greeted Kenai and Nahli. The girl petted Koda's furry head and Kenai nuzzled his little brother. Then, the older bear rose up on his paws and shook his fur.

"Well guys, we need to start heading out now so that we'll get to Nahli's village in good timing." Kenai turned to the girl. "Koda and I will need to smell something that you have from home so that we can track down the scent trail towards your village."

Nahli opened her sealskin satchel and pulled out a rough cloth made from the same material as the huts in her village. Kenai walked up to the dangling cloth in her hand. His large black nose made contact with the cloth as he sniffed it. Closing his eyes to concentrate on the scent, he breathed it in through his powerful nostrils. With the help of Tug and Koda teaching him the vital lessons of life as a bear, tracking scent trails was one skill that Kenai finally mastered after many failed attempts. The young adult grizzly was now confident enough to track down a distant village purely by scent just as well as any other bear could detect a specific location from miles away. After Kenai locked in the smell, Nahli lowered the cloth for Koda to familiarize himself with the scent as he scampered towards her.

Kenai, Nahli, and Koda then walked outside the cave into the coolness of the morning.

* * *

Before they began their journey, the girl and the two bears stopped by the large berry bush beside the cave for breakfast. Nahli enjoyed the handfuls of berries that she ate and laughed as she saw Koda gorging himself with mouthfuls of salmonberries. Kenai ate his share, but felt that it wasn't enough for him. He was a growing bear and realized the need to prepare for hibernation in the upcoming winter by fattening up on a lot of calories. This next winter would be Kenai's second experience of hibernating as a grizzly.

"I'm going down to the river nearby to catch fish. Care to join me anyone?" Kenai asked Nahli and Koda.

"Thanks for the offer, Kenai, but I'm pretty satisfied with this meal." The Inuit girl responded.

Koda rolled onto his back and rubbed his furry tummy with his paws. "No thanks, I'm stuffed with berries!"

Kenai chuckled at his little brother's amusing display before turning around and walking towards the river a few feet away. Standing at the riverbank, the young adult bear's eyes skillfully peered below the surface of the crystal blue water, trying to spot any signs of fish swimming along the current of the running river. Suddenly, Kenai saw the reddish-pink dorsal fin of a large sockeye salmon. In no time, the grizzly dipped his muzzle underneath the water's surface and snatched up the wriggling salmon between his powerful canines. He quickly lied down on the riverbank and held the salmon's thrashing body down with his large paw. Kenai had come a long way since the first time he unsuccessfully tried catching a fish (to the amusement of all the bears watching at the Salmon Run) the year before. The large fish served well as a filler for Kenai's stomach. After a few minutes of eating and finishing the last scraps of fish, the bear licked his front paws with contentment. He was now fully energized to take on the journey to Nahli's village.

"Seems like we're all set to go now." Kenai said with a smile as he walked back to where Nahli and Koda were sitting by the berry bush. Seeing Kenai, both the girl and the cub energetically jumped up.

"Yep, you bet I am! Lead the way guys!" Nahli exclaimed happily.

* * *

The trio started walking through the forest. Koda was eager to go a few feet ahead of Kenai and Nahli in hopes of tracking down the scent of the village early on. The cub's small black nose kissed the ground as he sniffed the area around him. Since it would be about a two-hour journey to Nahli's village, Kenai decided to start up a conversation to get to know the teenager a bit more.

"So, I bet you're happy to finally go back home and get away from us crazy bears, huh?" Kenai said jokingly with a mischievous smirk.

Nahli grinned and sighed. "To tell you the truth, I'm really enjoying you and Koda's company. I never thought in a million years that I'd be in the forest hanging out with two grizzly bears. Wow, to say that I'm actually walking with the one animal that my village taught me was so dangerous is pretty amazing. Kenai, you and your little brother have helped me to see bears in a very different light." The Inuit teenager looked at Kenai with a grateful expression.

The older grizzly smiled tenderly at the girl walking beside him. Kenai began to experience a growing feeling of kinship with Nahli in a way that made him feel a sense of care and protection for her... almost as if she were his sister...

"I'm glad you see that bears aren't all bad. There's definitely good in us." Kenai said. He liked that he could consider himself a part of the "us" among the bear race. Kenai never imagined in a million years that he would ever grow to love bears as a human and to actually enjoy being a grizzly. In becoming a man by becoming a bear, Kenai had truly come a long way.

"So, how does it feel to be a bear?" Nahli asked the young adult grizzly.

"Well, at times it does get challenging trying to adjust to life as a bear, but I enjoy it- especially with Koda around," Kenai said. "To be honest, I was the one who used to hate bears as a human. I thought so ignorantly of them that I even saw bears as monsters with no feelings...when all along, I was the monster." The grizzly looked down thoughtfully as they continued to walk at a steady pace. "... but it wasn't until I transformed into the one animal I hated that I was able to look through a bear's eyes and see the world from a whole different perspective."

The emotion from Kenai's words tugged on Nahli's heart strings. A few quiet moments passed as she pondered on what he said.

"You know, Kenai did some really weird and hilarious things while trying to figure out how to be a bear, especially when he first met me!" Koda excitedly said with a laugh, breaking the silence. He ceased his tracking duties and scampered back to walk in between Nahli and Kenai.

"Kenai didn't know the first thing about being a bear! He kept trying to walk on two legs instead of four, he drank water with a leaf, he made us ride mammoths on our way to the Salmon Run..." The cub blabbered endlessly, ecstatic to tell the Inuit teenager all of the strange things Kenai did his first few days as a grizzly. Nahli covered her mouth with the palm of her hand to stifle a laugh as she saw Kenai roll his eyes with growing irritation.

"Okaay, I get the point Koda." Nahli kindly interrupted with a smile.

"Koda just likes to be a bit of a pain in the neck sometimes, but what can you expect from a little brother?" Kenai said with a chuckle, playfully ruffling the grizzly cub's furry head. Koda giggled as he tried dodging away from his big brother's large paw that seemed to almost engulf the top of his small head.

"So, do you have any siblings of your own, Nahli?" Kenai asked.

"Yes, I do! I have a younger brother named Kion who's eight years old, and an older brother of twenty years named Noukah. My brothers seem to be around the same age as you two...and now that I think about it, they remind me of you and Koda, Kenai." Nahli told Kenai with a smile.

"Woah, wait..." Kenai stopped in his tracks, and Nahli and Koda abruptly followed suit. "Your older brother is NOUKAH?! Of the Moon Feather tribe?!" Kenai's amber eyes widened with amazement.

"Yes...why?" The Inuit girl responded slowly, curiosity rising in her voice.

"I know your brother!" The young adult grizzly exclaimed excitedly, perking up his furry ears. "We were childhood friends! My tribe used to visit your village years ago for ceremonial reunions, and that's how Noukah and I met each other. But eventually, both tribes ceased to continue the annual reunions, so your brother and I saw each other for the last time when we were six years old. After that, I always wondered how he was and what he was doing with his life...and I never knew that Noukah had a sister!"

"Oh wow!" Nahli gasped astonishingly. "Noukah never mentioned you, Kenai! Or maybe he did tell me about having a distant childhood friend...but I just don't remember."

"Well, it was a long time ago... but I hope he still remembers me." Kenai's ears drooped with sudden reality. "But who am I kidding? He surely won't recognize, let alone, understand me now that I'm a bear."

Nahli knelt down in front of the grizzly at eye level. "Don't worry, Kenai. Clearly there's a reason for you and I to have mysteriously met each other and for me to suddenly understand you. The fact that you are my brother's friend is truly amazing. So, when we get to my village, I'll make sure that Noukah will realize that it's you, bear or not."

The Inuit teenager wrapped her arms around the adolescent bear's shaggy neck and hugged him. Kenai hugged Nahli back with his foreleg. He knew that the sudden feeling of kinship he felt earlier with the teenager was all too real. It felt refreshing to know that even though Kenai never met Nahli in his previous human life, she was connected to him through Noukah.

Koda joined in the hug, cuddling up beside his brother and Nahli. The girl and the bears remained like this a few seconds more, just enjoying the moment.


	6. Chapter 6

**Ch. 6**

Almost two hours had passed as the afternoon sun shined brighter in the sky. Kenai began to sniff the air harder.

"We're here." Kenai looked up at Nahli and smiled. "Your village should be just passed these trees and down in the valley."

"Oh, thank you, Kenai and Koda!" Nahli exclaimed with joy.

Overjoyed to finally arrive home, Nahli ran ahead of the older bear and the cub. She sprinted past the trees and viewed the clearing in front of her. She saw the tan village huts beyond her in the valley. As she ran towards the village, thoughts were already running through her mind as to how she should explain to her family what happened and how sorry she was for being away for practically a whole day. Nahli slowed down to a walk as she neared the borders of her village. Kenai and Koda were right behind her.

"Wow, you're fast, Nahli!" Koda panted.

Nahli seemed to not hear the cub as she walked on the grounds of her village, so focused on getting to her family. As Kenai and Koda followed Nahli, a strange scent caught the older bear's nostrils. He tried to ignore it, but the smell became stronger the closer that they walked toward the silent huts. Kenai glanced down at his little brother beside him. Koda suddenly seemed very cautious as he walked even closer beside Kenai's side. Growing fear was reflected in his large dark eyes as he looked up at Kenai and whispered, "I can smell danger... I don't feel safe here."

An uneasy feeling quickly replaced Kenai's previously relaxed disposition. The young adult bear could make out the same scent that he smelled from Nahli's cloth in the air, and he knew that the scent was that of the village. What worried Kenai though was that this scent was mingled with another unfamiliar one. He didn't know why his bear instincts were making him feel wary from the mixed smell, but seeing Koda's reaction of fright confirmed to Kenai that something was indeed wrong here.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" Nahli called out. But there was no response. The village looked like a ghost town as tapestries hanging from wooden posts blew quietly in the breeze. "Where is everybody?" The Inuit teenager wondered aloud. Then the girl figured in her mind that her family must be taking an afternoon nap inside the hut while most of the villagers probably went out hunting or taking part in some other interesting activity in the wilderness on a beautiful day like this.

"It's way too quiet..." Kenai said nervously to himself. He wondered why Nahli couldn't sense that something clearly wasn't right with the strange scent in the air; but then he remembered that a bear's sense of smell was many times stronger than that of a human.

As Nahli began calling for her family and walking towards her hut, Kenai stopped at a hut that he was about to pass up, with Koda following close behind. The scent became much stronger as he walked towards the tent made out of caribou skin hanging from a driftwood frame. Kenai poked his head inside and gasped at what he saw.

Shattered clay pots were scattered across the floor, and clothes from the Inuit family who owned this hut were ripped to shreds. A sickening feeling hit the pit of Kenai's belly as he looked with horror upon the streaks of blood splattered across the tan-skinned walls. And on the wall of the hut was engraved the lnuit symbol "ru" made from the fire of a burning torch. Kenai knew all too well who the symbol belonged to. It was none other than that of the Night Raiders- a dangerous Inuit group of thirty strong men who were infamous for raiding villages across the Alaskan wilderness and taking families captive, eventually killing them off. The lingering scent mixed in the air of the wicked group of men was the smell that Kenai and Koda immediately picked up upon entering the Moon Feather village. _The Night Raiders had to have come here late last night_ , the grizzly thought to himself. Kenai had only heard stories as a human boy of these menacing men who raided villages in the past, and at one time, even his own. His Inuit tribe had a very strong army of men who were able to defend their village and fight off the Night Raiders. But the Moon Feather tribe was known to have a very weak army and were most likely not strong enough to defeat the raiders, thus becoming easy victims of the mens' evil deed.

"Koda, please don't look inside, I don't think you can-" Kenai began to warn, but it was too late. Even though the cub was behind the older bear, he could clearly see the disturbing scene in the destroyed hut through the opening of the doorway. Kenai looked pitifully at his brother as Koda slowly began to back away. His eyes widened with fear as he caught a whiff of spilt human blood.

Kenai quickly turned his head to see Nahli approaching the entrance of her family's tent ten huts away from where he was. The bear's heart skipped a beat as he realized that Nahli was about to discover the horrible scene that he and Koda just saw in this hut. If the Inuit family in this hut didn't survive the night raid, Nahli's family definitely couldn't have stood a chance.

"Nahli, NO!" Kenai exclaimed. The Inuit teenager jumped back from her hut with a start as she saw Kenai running towards her family tent, worry clearly shown from his expression. The grizzly halted in front of the girl, blocking the hut's entrance.

"What's the matter, Kenai?" Nahli asked, very perplexed at the young adult bear's strange action.

"Please, Nahli...don't go inside." Kenai said. A desperately pleading look filled his amber eyes as he spoke to her.

"Why? What's gotten into you, Kenai? I thought you were happy for me to finally get back to my family. And now you're suddenly preventing me from seeing them?" The Inuit teenager replied, irritation rising in her voice.

Kenai seemed to be struggling internally. He felt an overpowering desire to shield Nahli emotionally from the detrimental reality that she was about to face once she stepped inside the hut. He just couldn't bear to see Nahli's reaction once she would figure out what actually happened to her beloved family. It was unfortunate, knowing that all this time the girl was excited to get back home to see her waiting father, mother, and two brothers. Deep sadness began to overtake Kenai as he thought of Noukah, his dear childhood friend, taken away from his village and possibly murdered by now.

Frustrated at the bear's silence, Nahli tried to shove past Kenai to open the caribou-skinned doorway of her hut.

"Out of my way, Kenai! Whether you like it or not, I'm going in." The stubborn but determined teenager fussed. Emotionally drained, Kenai just didn't have the strength to hold Nahli back any longer from entering the hut so he reluctantly stepped out of the way.

Pulling back the thick flap of the hut's doorway, Nahli entered her home, expecting to see her family quietly resting. But she gasped at the scene of broken pots, ripped clothes, and blood splattered on the wall of the tent.

"No, they couldn't have..." Nahli gasped as she looked around, finally realizing that something horrible must have happened to her family. Not able to take in the disturbing scene any longer, Nahli rushed out of the tent. Kenai was standing in front of her with a mournful look on his face. His eyes were glassy as he looked straight into Nahli's eyes. He knew that he had to tell her what really happened to her family. It pained Kenai to have to once again share bad news about the death of a loved one. He told Koda in the past about the death of the cub's mother at the hands of himself, and now the news had to be broken to Nahli about her family. Koda sat down next to the older bear, and hung his head sadly.

"Kenai?" Nahli said questioningly. She yearned for Kenai to spit out what he knew that she couldn't yet figure out.

The light brown grizzly sighed deeply.

"Nahli..." Kenai began to say, his voice breaking. "I saw inside another tent exactly what you saw in yours. When I noticed the symbol on the wall of the hut and sensed a strange smell in the air, I knew that the Night Raiders came to your village last night." Kenai paused as he tried to choke back tears. "I'm so sorry... but your family's not coming."

"No... No..." Nahli gasped, dropping to her knees. She felt like a heavy stone had just dropped upon her. The girl knew the bear was right about the Night Raiders...her family couldn't have possibly survived the attack.

Suddenly, a flood of tears flowed down the Inuit teenager's cheeks as she deeply wept with an agonizing moan. Kenai's heart went out to the mourning girl. Tears trickled down his muzzle as he walked over and sat next to Nahli. Trying his best to console her, Kenai wrapped his forelegs around the teenager and gently pulled her into his arms. Nahli's body, once stiff with anguish, now became limp as she wept into Kenai's furry chest. For a while, Kenai held Nahli close as their tears mingled in the sadness of the moment.


	7. Chapter 7

**Ch.7**

Two hours of solemn silence passed as Kenai, Nahli, and Koda headed back to the cave. There was nowhere for Nahli to go at this point- her family was gone forever, and her village no longer existed.

Kenai sadly glanced up at the teenager who walked slowly beside him. Nahli seemed to drag her feet despondently, and the older bear knew that she was still grieving heavily inside. The Inuit girl wept so much in Kenai's furry consoling arms earlier that now she had no more tears to cry. She hung her head as she walked, blankly staring at the ground.

Kenai wished that he could say something to make Nahli feel better, but he found that silence was the best thing for the hurting teen right now. The usually talkative Koda didn't have to think twice about staying quiet. The sadness of the whole situation weighed down his spirit as well.

As the three sorrowful souls finally entered the cave, the evening sun began to set behind the mountains. Kenai lay down in his normal resting spot, and Koda curled up beside his big brother. Nahli seemed absent-minded from the two bears, though. She silently settled down in a spot by herself on the far side of the cave, rested her head on the palms of her hands that laid against the grayish-brown pebbles of the chilly ground, and closed her tired eyes.

Kenai looked with pity at Nahli, all alone in one corner of the cave. He thought that she'd want to lay beside him for comfort. But tonight, Nahli felt like she needed to bear her grief alone. The young adult grizzly rested his head on the ground. For most of the night, he couldn't sleep. His mind was trying to conceive a way to help Nahli. She couldn't possibly live the rest of her life sufficiently with Kenai and Koda in the forest- it would be a tough life for her out here since she was a human. Kenai decided that she needed to continue to live among people; there had to be another Inuit tribe that she could call her new home...

After a while, the bear couldn't resist the pull of sleep. Kenai finally closed his exhausted eyes and drifted off into a deep slumber.

* * *

The next morning, Kenai and Koda awoke to find Nahli gone from the spot that she was sleeping in the cave. Once outside, Koda immediately ran to the berry bush and started munching on his breakfast. For Kenai, finding Nahli was the only thing on his mind. He looked around to see where she possibly could have gone. Then the bear spotted the girl sitting on the bank down by the river. Kenai walked towards that direction and sat beside her. Nahli didn't even look up to acknowledge his presence. She kept staring blankly beyond her in a zombie-like state. It worried Kenai that Nahli wasn't acting at all like her usual sociable self. He knew that Nahli's grief was swallowing her up to the point that she almost didn't seem recognizable anymore. Somehow, Kenai had to help Nahli from falling into a permanent state of depression.

In the silence of the moment, Kenai shifted his paws nervously, not really knowing what to say. Rather hesitantly, he started to speak.

"Nahli...I... I know that you're still grieving, and I'm sorry that it had to come to this. But I really don't like seeing you like this... it's not like you." Even though the Inuit teenager never shifted her eyes up to look at him, Kenai continued to look down at Nahli with intense concern. "And you gotta eat something, I mean you haven't eaten ever since yesterday morning."

"How can I think about eating when my family is dead?" Nahli snapped in a harsh, quiet tone. She never turned her gaze away from the scene in front of her. "You don't know what it's like to lose everyone that you've loved."

"Actually, I do know what it's like, Nahli." Kenai said calmly. "My parents died when my brothers and I were younger. And then when my oldest brother, Sitka, died, it was like another big part of me was gone." Kenai's eyes were downcast as the tragic scene of Sitka's death replayed inside his mind.

"Nahli, please look at me when I say this." Kenai said after a minute of silence. Nahli slowly turned her head towards the grizzly sitting next to her and looked up at him straight in the eyes. Kenai could tell from the redness in Nahli's glazed eyes that she had a restless night with thoughts of her family's death bombarding her mind.

"Even though I've only known you for the past two days, you're like a sister to me. I want you to be happy again, and I'll do whatever it takes to make sure that that happens."

Kenai's words pierced through the dark clouds in Nahli's soul. She was touched that the grizzly saw her as family, and she couldn't help but feel the same way about him and Koda. But she kept her thoughts to herself as she listened to Kenai, tears forming once again in her eyes.

"So, I finally thought of a possible solution for you. I know that to be truly happy, you have to be among your own kind. You need another village to call home, filled with people who are loving and caring. So, I think I have the perfect one for you." A small smile spread across Kenai's muzzle as he saw the glint of hope that started to appear in Nahli's eyes.

"My tribe would be happy to take you in." The young adult bear continued to say. "There are some really nice people there that will definitely make you feel like you're home, especially the Shaman lady of our village named Tanana. And I trust that even my brother Denahi won't mind looking after you as a new member of our family. It'd be an hour's journey, but we can go there today. So, what do you think?" Kenai knew that living in his village was the best thing for Nahli.

Nahli slowly nodded her head in agreement. She sniffed as tears of gratitude trickled down her face. "Thank you, Kenai. You really are my brother bear." The Inuit girl said with a shaky voice as she wiped the tears from her eyes. Then, Kenai embraced Nahli warmly, holding her close. The bear knew that the only thing that the girl needed at the moment was love and affection to overcome the grief that drowned out the spark of light that was once present in her soul.


	8. Chapter 8

**Ch.8**

Nahli was gradually coming around to be her old self again. She ate before they went on the journey to Kenai's old village and even shared a few laughs as Koda told stories about his adventures with his bear cub friend, Bucky. In her mind, Nahli trusted what Kenai told her earlier. She truly desired another place to call home, and from what the young adult bear explained to her about the people there, life in this new village wouldn't be half bad.

* * *

As the girl and the two bears approached a clearing in the late afternoon, Kenai immediately picked up the familiar scent of his village. He spotted the mountain cliff where his tribe would often gather together for ceremonies, and where the hand prints of the past ancestors were placed on the stone wall. Kenai sighed happily to himself as he remembered when he placed his paw print on the wall at his ceremony of manhood a year ago.

"Are we finally here, Kenai?" Koda asked excitedly.

"Yep, we sure are." The older bear replied. "Follow my lead Nahli. And don't worry, you're going to love it here." Kenai told Nahli assuringly.

As they entered the village, Nahli wasn't the only one who was a bit nervous. Butterflies were unexpectedly flying miles a minute in Kenai's stomach. Even though only a year had passed, it felt like forever since he'd last been here. But the thing that made Kenai the more nervous and excited was seeing Denahi again after quite some time. He hoped that his brother would be happy to see him. _Of course he'll be glad to see me! He's my brother, why wouldn't he be?_ The grizzly thought to himself reassuringly.

Little children in their tan parkas were running around playing with each other, and Inuit drums were being played by the men as the women and their children danced happily around. Kenai sighed happily at this sight which brought back so many great memories of living here as a human boy. Kenai looked around for his brother, but didn't see him anywhere at the moment. Nahli and Koda walked closely alongside Kenai, taking in the scene of the village life around them with interest. Kenai headed towards Tanana's hut, relieved that it was pretty much on the outskirts of the main village grounds. He didn't want to attract any attention, knowing that some startled people of the village might not remember that the bear walking among them was actually Kenai himself.

Approaching the Shaman lady's hut, he could hear her humming inside. In front of the caribou-skinned doorway, Kenai softly grunted to try to get her attention. Nahli and Koda stood quietly some feet behind him.

Tanana stopped humming inside the hut when she heard the soft calls of a bear. She gasped to herself. "Well, I can't believe my ears. Is that Kenai I hear standing outside my hut?" The Shaman lady said delightfully before pulling the door flap open. The elderly woman grinned from ear to ear when she saw the young adult bear a few feet away from where she stood. Kenai's amber eyes lit up as he saw Tanana, and he roared with excitement. He quickly walked up to her and nuzzled her side as she ruffled his large furry head affectionately.

"How's my big bear boy doing, huh?" She said as she playfully tugged at his fuzzy ears. "Ooo, it seems like you've grown quite a bit from the last time I saw you! You've been keeping yourself well fed, eh?" Tanana added with a chuckle as she circled around the grizzly. Kenai smiled at the Shaman lady. No matter how old she got, she still seemed to never lose her energetic charisma.

Koda approached Tanana rather cautiously, curiously sniffing her mukluks. "Aww, and your little brother is still so young and sweet." She cooed as she bent down and scratched gently underneath Koda's fuzzy chin with her wrinkled forefinger. The cub, obviously enjoying this, moaned with delight.

"And who's this, Kenai? A friend of yours I suppose?" Tanana said as she looked at Nahli standing a few feet behind the bear in a rather shy manner. Seeing that the Inuit teenager was frozen in place, the adolescent grizzly bear walked behind Nahli, gently nudging the back of her legs with his muzzle in an effort to help her move towards the elderly Shaman lady.

Nahli chuckled sheepishly as she was being pushed forward by Kenai. "Yes...umm...hello. My name is Nahli." The girl tried to spit out smoothly. She didn't know why she was acting so nervous. Nahli guessed it was because of all the pressure she felt inside with trying to make a good first impression.

"Child," Tanana smiled gently at Nahli, "no need to be nervous around me. I don't bite you know." The elderly lady threw back her head and laughed at her own joke. Nahli smiled and sighed. She glanced down at Kenai beside her for help, not really knowing what to say. "Don't worry, Nahli. Just explain to Tanana why you're here." Kenai told her reassuringly.

"Well...I'm here requesting to become a part of your tribe. You see, my village was recently destroyed by the Night Raiders." Nahli's voice began to shake as she explained what happened to her village. Noticing this, Kenai softly rubbed his head against Nahli's arm soothingly for emotional support. "They captured and killed my whole tribe, including my family. And if it weren't for Kenai and Koda's help, I can't imagine where I'd be right now."

Tanana's heart was saddened as she looked at this newly orphaned girl before her with pity in her eyes. She seemed to already know that Nahli was able to communicate with Kenai and Koda, but the elderly lady didn't raise any question about it.

"Oh, you poor girl!" The Shaman lady gasped as she outstretched her arms and pulled Nahli into a hug. Tanana held the Inuit teenager close for a few seconds before letting her go. "I'm so sorry for your loss! And of course you can live here!" The elderly woman said without hesitation as she smoothed her long gray braided hair. Nahli sighed with relief.

"Don't worry my dear, our people will be happy to accept you into our tribe. And in the meantime, I'll do my best to find a family here that will take good care of you."

The girl smiled at Tanana gratefully. "Thank you so much, shaman, this really means a lot to me." Nahli said.

"It's the least I can do, Nahli. And please, just call me Tanana." The Shaman lady chuckled lightly.

* * *

"Hey, Tanana!" A familiar voice calling from the distance caused Kenai's ears to immediately perk up as he whirled around to see who it was.

"I just finished another meeting with the chief, and he's requested to see-" It was Denahi. He was making his way towards Tanana's tent when he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. The young adult man's face lit up with surprise as he saw a light brown grizzly with the recognizable "bear of love" totem hanging from his furry neck. Denahi gasped. He knew only one grizzly bear that could possess such an appearance... It's Kenai! Denahi exclaimed in his mind, too shocked for words to come out.

"Denahi!" Kenai exclaimed, his amber eyes widened with excitement. The bear felt like his heart would jump out of his chest in that moment as a feeling of unspeakable happiness burst inside of him.

"Oh, my brother!" Denahi exclaimed joyously. Both brothers ran to each other. The grizzly rose up on his hind legs and embraced Denahi as he crashed into Kenai. Kenai gave his brother a long bear hug. It was like their brotherly bond was rekindled in that moment, neither one of them wanting to let the other go. Tears of joy welled up in both of their eyes as they hugged. Nahli stood smiling with amazement beside Tanana and Koda, witnessing the wonderful reunion of a bear and a man who were actually brothers unfold before her eyes.

"Aww, congratulations, lover boy! You've actually made me tear up!" Denahi said jokingly once they finished their embrace, laughing as he wiped his eyes. Kenai roared with laughter as he playfully ruffled his brother's black hair with his paw before lowering himself back down to all fours. Tanana grinned as she walked up to the two brothers.

"It's refreshing to see you brothers reunited once again." The Shaman lady said as she placed a gentle hand on Denahi's shoulder and stroked Kenai's furry forehead with the other. "And yes, Denahi, I'll head over to the chief right now." With that, Tanana walked away towards the chief's tent.

"Man, I've really missed you, Denahi." Kenai grunted as he nuzzled his older brother's hand. Denahi could not understand Kenai's bear language (though Kenai could still understand his) but that didn't stop him from conversing with his brother as if they both still spoke the same language.

"Kenai, I'm really sorry that I stopped visiting you for the past year. I feel so ashamed..." Denahi said remorsefully. He looked Kenai straight in the eyes. "It's just that I've been so busy lately with being the chief's apprentice and all, that I've not had the time to see you." Hearing this apology from his brother, the adolescent bear gave a nod of understanding and smiled tenderly at him. From just that one look in Kenai's expression, Denahi instantly knew that he was forgiven.

Happy to see Kenai's brother again, Koda ran up to Denahi. The cub jumped into the man's open arms as he bent down to receive him.

"Well hello there, Koda!" Denahi greeted the dark brown cub as he scratched Koda behind his fuzzy ears. "I'm very glad to see you too." Placing the cub back on the ground, Denahi noticed Nahli standing in the distance, not recognizing her as a member of the village tribe.

"Do you know that girl, Kenai?" He whispered to his brother. Kenai turned to look at Nahli still standing shyly by Tanana's hut. The bear moaned to the girl, motioning for her to come over to where they were.

"Hey, Nahli! Come meet my brother, Denahi!" Kenai called to her. Nahli walked to where Denahi, Kenai, and Koda were and stood beside the older bear.

"Hello, Denahi. My name is Nahli." The Inuit teenager said politely as she shook Denahi's hand. Denahi looked quite bewildered for a moment.

"Nice to meet you, Nahli. But..h-how do you know my name?" He asked.

"It's quite an interesting story, but Kenai mentioned about having an older brother." She smiled.

Denahi looked back and forth at Nahli and Kenai curiously. "Do you mean that you can actually understand what Kenai is saying?"

Nahli nodded in agreement. The young adult grizzly looked up at the girl and smiled encouragingly.

"But how?" Denahi questioned in amazement.

Then, Nahli explained her whole encounter with Kenai in the forest and how she eventually was able to understand him. She also told Denahi about how Kenai and Koda was helping her to find another village home and family after hers had been destroyed. "Kenai is like a big brother to me, especially when the Night Raiders took my own." Nahli mentioned solemnly. "Kenai said he even sees me as a sister to him, and he suggested that I could live here among people who I was told has a familial and welcoming spirit."

At first when Nahli explained to Denahi her ability to understand Kenai, the Inuit man's expression was one of hurt. "Wow," He sighed sadly, "It's a shame that another person is able to understand Kenai, yet his own brother can't even communicate with him properly." Nahli cringed internally, noticing a little envy in Denahi's tone. She glanced at the young adult grizzly beside her and noticed that his eyes were a bit downcast with gloom as the truth behind Denahi's comment began to really sink in. The Inuit teenager could tell that Denahi's inability to understand his brother bothered Kenai quite a bit.

"But..." Denahi continued to say looking compassionately into Nahli's eyes, "I know that your sudden ability to communicate with my brother has spared your life in a great way. So, whoever seems like family to Kenai is automatically family to me." Denahi smiled gently. With that (and to Nahli's surprise), Denahi gave the Inuit girl a warm hug. In Nahli's mind, being here in this moment truly felt like home.

"Well, unfortunately I have to get back to chief apprentice duties in the village." Denahi told Kenai and Nahli reluctantly after some time passed.

"It was great seeing you though, little brother." Denahi said, as the two brothers embraced once more. Kenai had mixed emotions since his brother was about to leave him once again. After their embrace, Kenai met Denahi's gaze with rather sad eyes.

Noticing Kenai's expression, Denahi affectionately ruffled his younger brother's furry ears. "And I know what you're thinking Kenai, but don't worry. From now on, I will make it my duty to visit you at the beginning of every month. I promise. And don't be a stranger here, ok? You're always welcome to come back and visit our village." Both Denahi and Kenai exchanged smiles.

"And Nahli, I'll be in the village if you need me, and later I can introduce you to everyone. But you're welcome to stay here with Kenai a bit longer to say your goodbyes." Denahi said. And with one last look at Kenai, Nahli, and Koda, Denahi headed towards the chief's hut on the village grounds.

As they watched him walk away, suddenly Nahli felt very light-headed. The same feeling that she felt when she hit her head on the tree days before came back inside. Darkness started to blur her vision and she began breathing a bit heavily. Immediately noticing this, Kenai rushed to Nahli's side.

"Nahli! What's the matter?" He asked her, worry rising in his voice. Too weak to respond, Nahli sat on the ground and held her head in her hands. Koda also rushed beside Nahli and asked, "What do we do, Kenai?" For a few minutes sitting there on the ground, all Nahli could hear was a mixture of humming and crackling sounds that seemed to get louder by the minute. Nahli groaned in distress and laid on the ground with one hand over her forehead and the other on her ear. The Inuit teenager had no idea what was happening to her.

Once again, Kenai didn't know what to do to help Nahli. He scattered his eyes frantically around to see if anyone was around to help, but to no avail. Denahi and Tanana already went back to the village grounds, and no one else would be able to understand Kenai if he attempted to ask for help. Helplessly, the young adult grizzly lay down beside Nahli. Whatever was happening to her, Kenai would be there right by her side to support her.


	9. Chapter 9

**Ch.9**

It was like deja vu as Nahli looked up into the face of the adolescent grizzly bear, his amber eyes once again filled with concern, just like when she first encountered him in the forest. The humming and crackling noises that previously drowned out all other sounds eventually ceased. Her vision cleared, and the throbbing headache suddenly vanished.

"Hey...Nahli...are you alright?" Kenai asked gently. But instead of hearing that peculiar human voice belonging to that of a young man, Nahli now could only hear the gentle moaning of a grizzly bear coming from Kenai's mouth.

"Wh-what?" Nahli mumbled as she finally found the strength to sit up once again. She looked at Kenai with a bewildered expression on her face.

"Nahli?" Kenai cocked his head slightly to the side, rather confused as to why the teenage Inuit was looking at him that way. Once again, Nahli could only hear soft grunts coming from Kenai. And then it struck her- whatever happened from the time she experienced the headache and the near black-out minutes ago to this moment caused her now to no longer understand Kenai. Nahli gasped as the sudden reality began to sink in- the ability to speak to Kenai and Koda was suddenly taken away from her even before she had the chance to truly say a proper goodbye.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she began to cry. _No, this can't be happening... not now!_ Nahli thought to herself.

"Oh no, Nahli...don't cry..." Kenai said tenderly. The light brown grizzly gently nuzzled the crying girl to console her, not completely understanding what was happening to her inside.

"Kenai..." Nahli began to say through quivering lips. "I'm sorry, but I can't understand you anymore." At the sound of what Nahli said, Kenai perked his ears and stared at the Inuit teenager wide-eyed in disbelief. Koda pawed at Nahli's lap and looked up at her, also attempting to tell her something. But the bear cries of the grizzly cub replaced the familiar young voice of a boy that she had gotten so used to hearing just before.

Nahli sniffled back more tears as she sadly looked down at the dark brown cub and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Koda...I can't understand you either..."

Kenai sat in front of Nahli in a complete state of shock. How could this have happened? Thoughts were racing through the bear's mind as to why Nahli suddenly couldn't understand him and Koda anymore _. I didn't even get a chance to tell her goodbye..._ Kenai thought remorsefully. It was back to square one. Once again, there existed a dividing line between the human and bear world which a common understanding could no longer penetrate from the human side.

As he sat there hopelessly unable to converse with the Inuit girl in the same language, Kenai suddenly felt completely alone. Denahi had lost the ability to understand him, and now another human in Kenai's life who felt like family to him was also out of the bear's reach. A deep sadness filled Kenai's soul and his amber eyes had a glassy and forlorn look as they met Nahli's gaze.

Nahli wiped the falling tears from her eyes and knelt in front of the adolescent grizzly.

"I know this is an abrupt goodbye for both of us since I can no longer understand you," the girl began to say, her voice breaking, "but I just want to thank you so much for being there for me. And even though we just met days ago, I feel like I've known you my whole life. You are a brother to me, and I love you."

"I love you too, and I'll never forget you, Nahli." Kenai responded, forgetting that it would only come across as a grunt.

The bear yearned for the girl to understand, so he tried something else. Kenai held up his paw to Nahli. The Inuit teenager was a bit confused as to what the bear was trying to communicate, but then she got the notion that he was asking for her hand. Nahli reached out her hand to Kenai's paw. The grizzly gently wrapped his paw around Nahli's hand and placed it on his chest. For a moment, Nahli could feel the bear's steady heartbeat, and she instantly knew what he was trying to tell her.

After, the Inuit teenager wrapped her arms around Kenai's furry maned neck and hugged him tightly. The young adult bear wrapped his large paw around her, hugging her back. Moments later, Nahli embraced Koda as the cub came into her outstretched arms.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye." Nahli said reluctantly as she stood up from the ground. "I'm really going to miss you both."

Kenai looked up at the girl, smiling sadly at her.

"And when Denahi visits you Kenai, I'll try my best to be right there with him. So, you and Koda will see me again hopefully soon." Nahli told the bears.

With one last glance, Nahli parted ways with Kenai and Koda. As she walked towards the village grounds and looked back over her shoulder to see the adolescent grizzly and the cub slowly fading into the distant forest of the Alaskan wilderness, the girl knew that one thing was certain- Kenai would always be her big brother bear.


End file.
